Does anyone else here dislike PJ basses?

[Ric5]

Does anyone else here dislike PJ basses?

I like all basses

Some more than others

 

[nostatic]

Nice rig, are those Hathors or Changelings?

One of each

 

[InternetAlias]

Does anyone else here dislike PJ basses?

I like all basses

Some more than others

I have a very controversial opinion in that I do not like basses without a bridge pickup, and out of those that do have a bridge pickup, I like PJs the least because it's an afterthought. My tone is a solo'd bridge pickup with bass added by the preamp. If I had the money, my ideal bass would be a stingray, but I don't, and they are really expensive where I live.

So yeah, my list of basses I dislike is actually huge.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

I love the extra flexibility a PJ can offer. If the P pickup is too boomy and you need more cut, you blend in the J or just solo it for a burpy sound.

When 50 / 50 a PJ can sometimes sound a bit 'brittle' when slapping and doesn't sound as mellow as a pair of J pickups, but with a bit of overdrive a PJ can have a tonne of clank and grind.

 

[Gyver]

I don't dislike them, I just never use the Jazz pickup (solo or in combination with the Precision pickup) on the one I have.

 

[the federalist]

Likey, likey ESP Vintage Four (passive) and ESP Horizon (active)

Don't know how the LTD versions are, but the Japan models are terrific.

 

[CapnSev]

My Yamaha BB 1024X has a very muscular bridge pickup that can stand on its own. The bridge pickup also blends very well with the neck split-coil pickup. Not all PJs are the same.
View attachment 3094512

That is one good looking bass.

 

[flam]

They just seem wrong to me. It's like a P bass that somebody threw a J pickup on as an afterthought. Doesn't help that I prefer the neck position of a J.

 

[bearfoot]

The only thing I dislike is that I prefer not to use the stock J pickup for recording , due to noise. But live, the noise is undetectable, and the bark of the J pickup is awesome. I even like it solo'd.

Of course, many options exist for dual-coil J solutions, and shielding is important.

I'm glad not everyone likes P/J's, as that would get boring and screw up the bass market.

 

[Bourbongangster]

Don't know how the LTD versions are, but the Japan models are terrific.

Oh man, I can tell you the LTD version of this is THE JAM! I had a LTD Vintage-204 that I just sold a couple weeks ago, and it was hands-down one of the nicest sounding P/J I've ever played.

 

[Blaze Barlow]

Not sure how this is relevant to my disliking a noisy bridge pickup.
I've posted many times that I don't "play out", but that doesn't mean I never have taken a bass out to play with others.

what I meant was that musicians appear to be more critical of how the pickups sound when they are performing in public for money..so I was thinking that how the pickups sound in a non public..non paying format..really doesnt matter that much..

 

[mark beem]

Does anyone else here dislike PJ basses?

Only if it's on a Jazz body.. Just looks wrong to me..

 

[troy mcclure]

It is all I play... mostley P pickup with a tiny about of J for clarity

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

I love my P/J for everything but the jazz pickup, I personally cant stand the sound of any jazz pickup. Since I would never utilize the jazz pickup I routered the cavity to fit a Thunderbird neck pickup into place. Now that is a tonal option you need to hear.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

when they are performing in public for money

So you're just here to invalidate my opinion on P/J basses?
Should I precursor all my posts with "I'm not a gigging musician"?
or would you rather that only those who get paid to play precursor their posts with "I am a professional gigging musician"?

*professional = getting paid for it

 

[Heisenbass]

I’m starting to learn that I generally like basses with relatively simple controls and classic pickup settings. (ie: my Fender Jazz and Fender Precision).
I owned a PJ bass for awhile, but I was always just setting it to the isolated P pup, and using it as just a secondary P Bass. It sounded way to harsh with both pickups on.

Don’t like them in terms of aesthetics. P/MM looks even worse to me. Can’t stand PP. But that’s just my personal deformation. I also dislike 2/2 headstocks.

 

[whero]

I read an online article recently about whether PJs were "the best of both worlds" or a "a compromise that's not as good as either". The writer thought the latter. About 80% of the people posting comments disagreed. It seems like a classic YMMV - probably depends on the bass, which pups it has, active or passive, and (of course) what sound you're looking for in the first place.

I have the Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass which is a PJ and I love it. I have the P volume max'ed and the J at around 20-25%. Sometimes I'll roll the J up a bit (but almost never past 50%), or down a bit, or off altogether, but the P tends to stay on full.

I'm a bit confused by the OP comment "I generally like basses with relatively simple controls" though. I mean, the Aero has two pups, a volume pot for each one, and single tone control. I don't think it can get much simpler.

 

[Haroldo]

My $0.02: I've a EBMM Caprice, not 'zactly a PJ, but close enough for the purposes of this discussion. (I've not owned any of the Fender PJ products.)

I am very happy with it - 'P' pickup solo, 'J' pickup solo, or some combination of the two. This is one nice bass, tho' it certainly got pricier after I bought mine.

ETA: As alot of folks have said, it really depends on the PJ, some embodiments are much better than others.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

what I meant was that musicians appear to be more critical of how the pickups sound when they are performing in public for money..so I was thinking that how the pickups sound in a non public..non paying format..really doesnt matter that much..

Everyone’s opinion is welcome here. If you have prerequisite needs you think a user must meet before they post their opinions, you’re welcome to leave the thread, because publicly dismissing them isn’t going to fly.

 

[kkaarrll]

a t40 can do one

so yeah